OpsLens Deck of 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders
In 2018, as a spin-off and salute to the original 2003 deck of 52 Most Wanted playing cards, let’s honor post 9/11 frontline leaders here at home. Once a week, for 52 weeks this year, OpsLens will post a card highlighting one of the 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders. You’ll learn the top facts about their business or organization, as well as why they made the list, which comes down to impact, scalability, health, and unique value proposition.
I encourage you to look for these weekly updates, share the card with your network, and support or buy the products and services they offer. See the 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders launch story here.
7 of Clubs | Travis Manion Foundation
On April 29, 2007, 1st Lieutenant Travis Manion (USMC) was killed by an enemy sniper while saving his wounded teammates. In that same year, his family founded the Travis Manion Foundation (TMF), which exists to carry on the legacy of character, service, and leadership embodied by Travis and all those who have served and continue to serve our nation. Their powerful mantra is the phrase that Travis spoke before leaving for his final deployment to Iraq, “If Not Me, Then Who …”, which is a salient reminder for all to live with character and put another person’s interest before your own. Over the past ten years, this foundation has been uniting America to strengthen our national character, evidenced in their remarkable impact numbers: more than 60,000 veteran and survivors empowered; an excess of 100,000 Spartan members; and over 200,000 youth living the “If Not Me, Then Who” movement.
Guided by Travis’s words, veterans and survivors continue their service, develop strong relationships with their communities, and thrive in their post-military lives. With opportunities to engage across the country, the foundation’s mission of empowering veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop character in future generations is resulting in prosperous communities and the character of our nation’s heroes living on in the next generation. The powerful intersection of support for families of fallen service members, veteran transition assistance, and youth leadership development has opened a floodgate for daily moments of inspiration.
The story of this foundation is incomplete without understanding the deeper layer of the heart behind this undertaking—that being the bonds between Travis and another fallen hero, U.S. Navy Lieutenant (SEAL) Brendan Looney. If you haven’t yet, you need to add Brothers Forever by Tom Sileo and Colonel Tom Manion (USMC, retired) to your reading list.
The Travis Manion Foundation is a frontline leader that should be on your list of most wanted charities to support in 2018.
Frontline Leader (Founder(s)): Travis Manion Gold Star Family (parents Tom and the late Janet, sister Ryan).
Name of Company/Organization: Travis Manion Foundation, founded 2007.
Location: HQ is Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with offices across the country.
Post 9/11 Service Connection: Gold Star Family (U.S. Marine Corps and Naval Academy graduate).
Tours of Duty: Two tours in Iraq (1st Reconnaissance Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, California, and also with a military transition team (MiTT) trained and partnered with an Iraqi Army Battalion in Fallujah, Iraq).
One sentence tagline &/or mission statement: “If Not Me, Then Who …”
Website: https://www.travismanion.org/
